James Gunn Says His ‘Superman’ Will Be Nothing Like ‘Guardians’

James Gunn is well-known for the Guardians Of The Galaxy franchise, which has a very specific comedic vibe. Apparently, Gunn’s upcoming Superman: Legacy won’t be in the same vein. Marvel movies in general tend to have a very laid-back, safe, quippy nature. Gunn looks to avoid bringing that same feel to the first outing of the new DC universe. Upon hearing that James Gunn is going to be the new co-CEO in charge of DC, it’s very easy to look back at some of his most important works and assume he’s going to continue in that same direction. But that’s not the plan.

Part of the reason for that is the sheer weight that the Superman name carries with it. Of course, Superman has been adapted numerous times. There are the Christopher Reeve movies, the Man Of Steel period, and now Gunn’s. Before that, Superman was reinvented time and time again in the comics. The most common image of Superman is that of a big boy scout who can do no wrong. Then again, there are other adaptations like Injustice, in which Superman becomes unhinged, and there’s really not much that can be done to stop him.

READ MORE: James Gunn Says the Guardians’ Role in Avengers Wasn’t What He Wanted

Superman is an exceedingly layered character, and while Gunn has to take care to be true to that, he doesn’t want to go super dark. The DC canon has a history of being extremely gritty and grounded, and it doesn’t seem to have done too well for them. Gunn sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss the future of the character in more detail recently.

“It’s easier to take a character nobody knows, like the Guardians, or Peacemaker, and then do whatever you want with them. People in every single country in the world know the story of Superman.”

Gunn also told THR he wanted to make a “different” Superman movie from everything that’s been made in the past, but also “have it respect” all those films as well. Part of finding his take, he said, was deciding that instead of a comedy, he would make “a sincere superhero movie” out of the Man of Steel.

Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will open in theaters on May 5.